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MATTHEW.

MARK.

LUKE.

LI ACTS.
CHAP. I.

3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion,by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days,* and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:†

4 And, being assembled together with them,commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

5 For John truly baptised\ with water; but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall

be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

* Place....Jerusalem.
Time....Thursday, the fortieth day after the Resurrection.

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NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

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3. John i. 15. The transposition of this verse after the 18th, according to Wakefield and Markland, renders the passage more clear and connected

Luke i. 5. Of the course of Abia. The priesthood was divided into twenty four courses; (See 1 Chron. xxiv. 10.) and over each course was placed a priest, hence denominated the high priest

4. Luke i. 9. His lot was to burn incense. Each course in seven divisions served for the week, and each division was appointed, by lot, to its peculiar service.

14. Luke i. 15. He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost. This obsolete term in many instances casts an bscurity over the scriptures, and it may now be sufficient generally to observe, its proper translation from the Greek "the Holy Spirit" is more easily understood.

5. Luke i. 22. And when he came out, &c. By the vision is meant, the appearance of God, by an angel, to the priest, to reveal his will. This was wont to take place at the time of offering the incense. Hence the people readily concluded, by his delay and his seeming speechless, that he had been thus favoured.-Hammond.

The

9. Luke i. 69. Hath raised up an horn of salvation. word horn is used in the scriptures emblematically to denote strength or power; Lament. i. 3, 17. Psalms lxxv. 10. also honour and triumph, as when the horn" is exalted;" Psalm lxxxix. 24. From the union of these it signifies the power of a king or kingdom, Rev. xiii. 1. This seems the import of the word in this place. The house of David being the regal family, and Saviour implying ruler and prince, (See Obad. 21.) the horn of salvation in the house of David, denotes the kingdom of Christ.

10. Matt. i. 19. Not willing to make her a public example. The punishment ordained by the Jewish law in this case was to be stoned to death, Deut. xxii. to prevent which Joseph, from motives of humanity, intended to give up the betrothment, or divorce her before the marriage was consummated. This might be done, by giving her a bill of divorcement, in the presence of some mutual friends, and one or two of the Rabbins, without specifying to them the reasons for his conduct.-Willan.

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